I can’t speak. My back arches off the bed again, and he replaces the leg between my legs with his hand.
“You’re so wet.”
“Your fault,” I murmur, then bite my lip when he slips a finger inside me.
“I’ll happily take the blame for this.” He presses his thumb to my most sensitive spot. “Look at me.”
His eyes are on fire. Every muscle in his body is tight.
“I was going to take this slow,” he says. “I wanted to be lazy about it, memorizing every inch of you.”
“I’m not feeling particularly lazy right now,” I reply and grip his wrist, guiding his wet finger to my mouth so I can suck on it, and that seems to tip the scales to frantic and carnal.
This. This is what I need from him now.
He strips the last of our underwear from us and reaches over to the bedside where a condom is sitting on the table.
“I was a sure bet?” I ask with a smile as he takes care of protecting us both. He covers my body with his and kisses me, biting my lower lip.
“No. But I was very hopeful.”
And with that, he guides himself to my opening, and pushes against me, watching my face carefully. When I smile, he presses inside of me, filling me fully.
“Fuck.” He grits his teeth.
“Oh my,” I breathe, gripping onto his ass, urging him to move.
“If I move, it’ll be over before it begins,” he growls and opens his eyes. “You’re so fucking tight, Mallory.”
“Say it again,” I whisper.
“You’re so fucking tight.” He jaw loosens enough for him to smile.
“The other part.”
“Mallory.”
“Hmm.” I roll my hips, loving the way he fills me so completely. Not just physically but emotionally as well. He just fills me up.
“You like that?”
He takes my hands off his ass and pins them both above my head, effectively lifting my bust higher, giving him easier access to the hard peaks.
“I love your voice,” I reply and gasp when he pulls out, just a bit. “I fucking love the way you say my name.”
“Do you, Mallory?” he says with a grin and bites my neck as he thrusts back in me, harder. I can’t move my arms, but it gives me leverage to raise my pelvis up against him, grinding, as he sets a hard pace of thrusting in and out, faster and harder, hitting my clitoris with his pubis each time.
“Oh my God, Beau.”
“That’s right. Look at me.”
I open my eyes to see his on me, fierce now.
“Your blue eyes turn violet when you’re excited.”
“Good to know.” He shifts his grip on my hands. “I want to touch you.”
I need to touch you.
He lets them free and I immediately grip onto his shoulders, loving the way they flex under my touch.
“I love your body,” he says.
“I love your body,” I reply, surprised to not be self-conscious in the least by the extra thirty pounds I carry.
Beau doesn’t seem to care, so why should I?
My hands glide down his back to his ass, but he suddenly raises up on his knees, grips my ankles, and yanks my legs up straight, so my feet are right by his face. He hugs my legs around my thighs, still inside me, thrusting hard, watching me closely.
“Oh my God,” I moan, holding on to the sheets at my hips for dear life.
“Too much?” he asks.
“Hell no.”
He grins and parts my legs, letting them fall at his sides, and presses his thumb against my clitoris again, and I’m done. I come so hard, I see the stars that everyone seems to talk about.
Beau leans down to kiss me.
“Again.”
My eyes whip open in surprise. “I can’t.”
He narrows his eyes, a half smile on his sexy lips. “Oh, baby, yes you can.”
He plants his lips on my neck, his thumb still at my core between us, and I’ll be damned if the angle doesn’t make me come again.
Holy fucking hell!
He whispers, “Mallory,” and tightens, giving in to his own climax, his heart pounding against mine.
We’re breathing hard, dripping with sweat, as we stay where we are, coming down from our own highs.
“Not exactly how I planned the first time to be,” he murmurs as he rolls to the side and tucks me against him.
“No need to plan,” I reply, catching my breath. “We seem to have the wing-it thing down.”
He chuckles and tucks my hair behind my ear.
“So we do.” He takes a deep breath and kisses my head. “I want to see you tonight.”
I’m about to readily agree, but then I remember that I already have plans this evening.
“I can’t. Remember when Callie mentioned the girls’ night we have planned? That’s tonight.”
“Ah yes, the girls’ night that I’m not supposed to be privy to.” He drags his hand down my back, and then suddenly, I’m on my back and he’s tickling the hell out of me. “Spill it!”
“No way!” I’m giggling and struggling to get away, kicking and lashing out.
“You’re stronger than you look,” he says as he barely dodges my fist.
“Hell yes, I am,” I reply and decide to fight fire with fire. I cup his balls in my hand and cock an eyebrow.
“Hey now,” he says with a laugh. He holds his hands up in surrender. “It’s not worth losing the family jewels.”
I smirk and let him go, then push him on his back and straddle him.
“I guess I can tell you what we’re doing.”
“So it’s not a state secret?”
“No.” I giggle, enjoying him. He’s funny. He’s laid-back, which surprises me because he always struck me as uptight, despite not being able to read him.
That’s what I get for assuming.
“We’re going to a strip club.” I do my best to school my face.
“Um…” He blinks rapidly, trying to decide how he should react to this news, and I can’t help but smirk. “Are you messing with me?”
“No. I’m perfectly serious. We’re going to a strip club to find Van a hot piece of ass for the night.”
He scowls. “Van’s not ready for that shit.”
“How do you know?” I slip off of him and sit on my ass next to him. “She doesn’t want anything serious, but she wouldn’t mind a little…you know.”
“No.” He shakes his head and sits up. “She’s my sister, so I don’t want to know.”
“Don’t worry. Callie’s going to be the designated driver.”
“This is out of character for Savannah,” Beau says as he puts his boxer-briefs on and paces the room, clearly concerned. Now I’m starting to regret this. “You just don’t know who she could end up with. He might be a rapist, or just an asshole.”
He stops and stares at me. “Ben is going to freak the fuck out.”
“Why?” I tilt my head, enthralled in how he’s reacting to this news.
“Because he loves her,” he says and reaches for his phone. “He’s loved her forever.”
“Does Van know that?”
“Deep down, I think so.” He’s thumbing through his contacts. “I’d better call him.”
“Stop. Beau, don’t call him.” Shit! “Beau, we’re not going to a strip club.”
“Not when Ben finds out, you won’t be.”
“No, we’re not going. We never were.”
His hand falls to his side and he stares at me in disbelief. “You were dicking with me.”
I cringe, then smile. “I was teasing you. There’s a difference.”
He sets the phone down, then pounces on me, making me yelp and giggle at the same time.
“I had no idea you were this protective.”
“Of course I am,” he says. “I’m the oldest of six siblings. You just saved some poor dude from being killed by Ben. And maybe me and Eli too.”
“Right.”
“No one wants to fuck wit
h Ben, sugar. He’s a Krav Maga master, and a general badass.”
I smirk. “You were pretty badass there for a minute, too.”
“I can be a badass when I need to be,” he says and kisses me. “Are you going to tell me where you’re really going?”
“We’re doing a séance at Gabby’s inn.”
He pulls back, almost as surprised as he was about the strip club comment. “Really?”
“Really.”
He frowns. “Is that safe for you?”
Oh, Beau, be careful. I could fall in love with you.
“I haven’t done it in a very long time,” I concede. “In fact, after Grandmamma died, I was adamant that I wouldn’t ever use my psychic abilities. But they’re part of me, and I can’t ignore them. I tried. I’ve learned how to protect myself over the years. To brace myself for certain emotions, and to cope with what I see. I’ve been working on being able to shut the door entirely, so I can control what and when I see things.”
“You haven’t been able to do that?”
“No, and it’s a pain in the ass. Lena can. I think I’m getting better at it.”
I hope.
“Be careful tonight. Call me if you need me. In fact, I can come with you and be there on site, just in case.”
I smile and cup his cheek again, which seems to soothe him. “I’ll be fine. I’ll have all of your girls with me, and they’re a strong bunch of women.”
“That they are.” He smiles and kisses my palm. “Just keep this girl safe, please.”
“I will.”
***
“This is so fun,” Gabby says as she sets more candles on the dining room table. “Lena, I’m so happy that you were able to come with Mallory.”
Lena smiles and nods at me. I like these people.
Me, too.
“I’m happy to be here,” Lena says. “I’ve heard so much about all of you.”
“I bet that drove you batty,” Charly says. “It would me, if my best friend was suddenly friends with someone new.”
“Well, I admit I can be protective,” Lena says. “Mal is practically my sister, and sometimes people can be—”
“Horrible,” Gabby finishes for her. “But you are welcome here anytime.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t have any guests staying tonight,” Kate says and rubs her belly. Kate is about half way through her pregnancy. I pat her shoulder, just so I can take a peek and make sure that everything is still okay. She’s nervous, given some problems she’s had in the past, but this pregnancy is strong. Both she and the baby are healthy as can be.
“Well, it’s the middle of the week in the off season, so tonight was all clear. Rhys took the kids to dinner and the movies, so we have at least three hours to ourselves.”
“Perfect,” Van replies and sips her tea. I like Savannah very much. I like them all, truth be told, but Van is the one that calls to me. The first time I touched her, I wanted to lie down and sob, and then I wanted to gut the animal that hurt her from crotch to throat.
And I’m not a violent woman.
But what happened to her was horrific. And yet, here she is, smiling and sipping tea, excited at the idea of hearing from the spirits that are a part of the heritage of her family.
And the spirits are here. There’s no denying that. I’ve already seen two and heard from a third.
The girls won’t be disappointed tonight.
“How are things with Beau?” Charly asks me with a smug smile.
“Yes, we want to hear everything,” Van says, also smiling widely.
“Well, not everything,” Gabby adds with a shudder, “because ew, but most of everything else, please.”
“He’s not my brother,” Callie says with a laugh. “I’ll take the everything, please.”
I sit at the head of the table and smile at these five women who have so quickly become my friends. Lena sits next to me and takes my hand. She’s going to be my anchor tonight. I haven’t done anything like this in so many years, that I wanted her here to make sure that if something goes wrong, she can bring me out of it.
“Things with Beau are good,” I reply.
“And?” Callie asks.
“And I don’t know what else to say.” I laugh and shrug.
“I know, it’s new,” Van says. “Would you say you’re dating?”
“Yes.”
“Would you say you’ve kissed him?” Gabby asks.
“Yes.”
Lena smiles over at me. Really like them.
“Would you say he’s rocked your world between the sheets?” Callie asks with mischievous blue eyes.
“Affirmative,” I reply and press my lips together so I don’t bust out with laughter.
“What?” Lena asks, eyes wide. “You didn’t tell me that!”
“It just happened this morning,” I reply.
“Wow.” Lena sits back, staring at me. “And?”
I glance around again, at all six of them staring at me in rapture and all I can do is bust out laughing.
“I’ve never had so many people interested in my love life.”
“Come on, it’s new sex,” Lena says, looking to the others for support.
“Exactly,” Charly says. “Does he make you happy? Is he a jackass?”
“Beau can be a jackass,” Gabby confirms.
“He’s not a jackass to me,” I reply. “And yes, he makes me happy.”
My phone buzzes with a call.
“And that’s him now. Hello?”
“How’s it going?”
“We haven’t started the séance yet, but so far things are fun.”
“So you haven’t seen my Aunt Millie?”
“No, no sign of your Aunt Millie, but your Uncle Cyrus wants to know why you haven’t wound his grandfather clock in two years. He says you’re going to ruin it.”
“Oh my God,” Van gasps, and I look up to see everyone staring at me in shock.
And Beau hasn’t said anything at all.
“Beau?”
“Wow. Okay. Well, tell Uncle Cyrus I’ll get on that. Be careful tonight. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay. Bye.” I hang up and look over at Lena. “I think shit just got real for Beau.”
“I think shit just got real for all of us,” Kate says.
“So, you told Beau,” Charly says with a smile.
“Yeah, we had a visit from Miss Louisa last night at his place, so I had to talk to him about it all earlier than I’d planned.”
“Charly filled us in, Mal,” Van says. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Well, we’re here for a séance, so it’s totally okay.”
“Shall we get started?” Lena asks.
“Yes.” I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing my eyes and opening my mind wide open. “Wow.”
“Are you okay?” Lena asks aloud.
“Yes, I just haven’t been this open in a long time,” I whisper, letting my mind reach out through the house and the whole property. “There have been hundreds of people who lived here. Slaves.” I scowl at the sight of someone being whipped, but then cared for immediately by who I assume is a family member.
“There are many spirits on this land,” Lena says, her grip on me tightening.
“Yes, but they’re not in distress,” I reply in relief. “I don’t sense any evil here.”
“I agree,” Lena says and we both open our eyes to the others. “We’re safe.”
“Your eyes are so dilated,” Kate whispers.
“Because our minds are open,” I reply and look at the man standing behind Gabby. “There’s a man named Cyrus here.”
“So you weren’t bullshitting Beau,” Van says.
“No.” I smile at Cyrus, who smiles back. He’s tall, with dark hair and eyes, and he’s wearing clothes from at least a hundred years ago. “Do you know him?”
“He was one of our great grandfather’s brothers.” Charly looks at Van and then back to me. “And Beau has his grandfather clock.??
?
Cyrus winks at me. “Well, that I knew. Do you want me to say anything else to them?”
He shakes his head, tips his head to me, and disappears.
“Let’s hope they’re all as gentlemanly as Cyrus,” Lena says softly.
“There’s only one other who’s coming forward,” I reply and close my eyes again. “I can’t see her, but I can feel her.”
The room is quiet as I clear my mind, opening myself up to a young woman, only in her teens. “She’s young.”
I like it here. Please don’t make me leave.
“She says she doesn’t want to leave. She likes it here.”
“I don’t mind if she stays,” Gabby says with a smile. “I’m just curious about who she is.”
I close my eyes again, listening.
Larissa.
“She says her name is Larissa.”
I don’t know why I’m here. I’ve been here a long time.
I frown and silently ask her, do you know that you’re no longer alive?
“What is she saying?” Gabby asks.
“That she doesn’t know why she’s here.”
Yes. I died on a cliff.
“She never lived here when she was alive,” I say and squeeze Lena’s hand. I’m okay, I just like feeling her. “She says she died on a cliff.”
“Holy shit,” Van says. “Is she the French girl who was ripped from her slave lover?”
Yes.
“She says yes.”
“Holy fucking shit,” Gabby says.
Are you trying to transition? I ask her.
I just want to stay here until Douglas can find me.
“Poor girl,” Lena says. “She says that she wants to stay here until he finds her.”
“Oh, how sad,” Kate says.
I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to find him for you. I can help you move on though, Larissa.
Maybe he’s there? she asks.
Maybe. I don’t know for sure.
“She’s asking Mal if Douglas might be waiting for her in the next life,” Lena says. “She’s quite sad.”
“I don’t know where he is,” I say aloud, “but I can help you move on, Larissa. You don’t have to stay here.”
I won’t leave without him.
And then she’s gone. I can’t sense her.
“What is she saying now?” Gabby asks.
“She’s gone.” I let out a long sigh and open my eyes. “She said she doesn’t want to leave without him, and she’s not talking to me any more.”